At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

As a rational muslim:According to me, men who believe in God should remind all the time themselves God's creations.Only then a person firmly connects orders of God and lives a rightously life, is able to overcome bad whispers coming from inside.

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

It makes me crazy because i think about god/the universe/evolution too much. But seeing 11 11 all the time doesnt help either.

What's 11 11?

11 11 on the clock and other places. It's the universe trying to get me to notice it. There are also other numbers like 108 and 3168. My iPhone clock used to go backwards to 108 or 11 11, so I would really pay attention. Not so much anymore though, now that I'm taking olanzapine. That shuts down parts of my brain.

For Some People A Moment Is A YearSome people"s innate capacities blossom in a instant, while others are gradual, unfolding little by little. Human nature contains both of these.They look to conditions, and change accordingly. Sometimes they develop slowly. Sometimes they are dark like gunpowder, then suddenly explode into luminous fire.Sometimes one look transforms coal into diamonds. Sometimes a touch transmutes stone into elixir.A single glance of God"s Messenger in an instant transformed an ignorant nomad into an enlightened man of knowledge.If you want an example, "Umar before Islam, and "Umar after Islam. Compare the two: a seed, a tree. It instantaneously produced fruit, that look ofMuhammad, the Prophetic effulgence.Of a sudden he changed the coal-like natures of the Arabian people into diamonds, withtheir morals as black as gunpowder, they all became luminous lights.

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

This may seem odd, Solon, but I feel I appreciate religion more not believing any of it than I would if I were devoted to a particular faith.

That might need some explanation, so here's my attempt to do that:

I suspect that the scope, invention and sociological impacts of religion can be obscured by the psychopathology of believing in it. I think religious adherents commonly misrepresent the historical and psychosocial dynamics of their chosen faith, while dismissing the historical, cultural and social significance of competing faiths.

I still hold religious belief to be superstition, and religious authority to be corrupt and harmful, but religion itself still plays a big role in psychological and cultural development, and I think it preferable to appreciate all of it in that regard, than only part of it as some supposed insight into the universe.

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

I am who I am because I chose to be. But my choices were all filtered through my religious beliefs which offered me another perspective of life. But the answer to your question on the nature of religion, is filtered through my own religion which the Baha'i Faith:

The great question concerning humanity is religion. The first condition is that man must intelligently investigate its foundations. The second condition is that he must admit and acknowledge the oneness of the world of humanity. Man must spiritually perceive that religion has been intended by God to be the means of grace, the source of life and cause of agreement and harmony.

Religion, is the necessary connection which originates from the reality of things; and as the supreme Manifestations of God are aware of the mysteries of beings, therefore, they understand this essential connection, and by this knowledge establish the Law of God.

In the Baha'i Writings it states, "...consider the civilization of the people in the western world - how it has occasioned commotion and agitation to the people of the world. Infernal instruments have been devised, and such atrocity is displayed in the destruction of life as has not been seen by the eye of the world, nor heard by the ear of nations. It is impossible to reform these violent, overwhelming evils, unless the peoples of the world become united upon a certain issue or under the shadow of One Religion"."

This is the answer to what I think religion is and should be. The next point you brought up was, "Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives." The following is my answer:

A militant non-religious group is typically affiliated with Atheism or worse, Militant Atheism.

But Atheism, militant or otherwise, simply means Anti Theism aka against the belief in God. So this begs the question, "If values and virtues have been offered to humanity by way of the religions of the past, what's the point of an Atheist being "good" if the reason for being good (and whatever that entails), rests within religion and the belief in God?"

Well, the short answer is that, there is no point for the Atheist to be good. But long answer is, their reasons for being good are the same as a religious person's, yet they choose not to include God in their answer. The choice not to include God in their answer, does not disprove the existence of God. And the only way we can prove it is if we ask ourselves 2 questions: (Am I living?) or (Am I surviving?)

1st Question. (Am I surviving?)Survival obligates the human to rely on their primitive instincts, which are eating, sleeping, and sexual activity. Now by reading this, you may think of the early human being such as a HomoSapian and think, "Well I definitely do those, but I sure as hell aren't restricted to those because I know better than that". So instead of indulging in the primitive way of life, you strive to seek out a spouse in order to start a family, which leads to having a happy life that most people don't have, a roof over your head that protects your entire family from rain, snow and sun and so on. All of this that you've done, shows that instead of survival you chose to live. But what does living entail?

2nd Question. (Am I living?) Living frees you from the limitations of survival and allows you to be analytical, questioning, and most of all moralistic. You may say to yourself that, "Ahh now this is better, yes, I do these things so yes I am living". So there must be something that has continually changed our ways, that has tapped into our nobility as human beings and made us realize that its not survival that humanity is meant to do; we were meant to live. And given that those 3 points I mentioned above in this paragraph are demonstrated within religion everyone who agrees that they choose living or survival, is by default religious.

In conclusion, Atheists are spiritually dormant because they have yet to individually investigate the religion itself, and rely on the study of others as the backbone to their own personal beliefs. Religion should be sought out by those who truly want to quench their thirst of Spirituality and rid themselves from the restriction imposed by secularism and the damage inflicted by the lack of Spirituality. So do some Personal Investigation of the Truth, cuz its good for ya :)

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

Beliefs, no matter what shape the way a person thinks and acts to some extent, whether they be Christian, atheists, agnostics etc. and everyone thinks a little differently concerning their beliefs, but in many cases the differences are minor. But minor differences can still be perceived as major irreconcilable problems.I personally struggle often with trying to be a representative of Christ, because many people give Him a bad name by their actions, even though it is not a valid reason to reject Christ.

In conclusion, Atheists are spiritually dormant because they have yet to individually investigate the religion itself, and rely on the study of others as the backbone to their own personal beliefs. Religion should be sought out by those who truly want to quench their thirst of Spirituality and rid themselves from the restriction imposed by secularism and the damage inflicted by the lack of Spirituality. So do some Personal Investigation of the Truth, cuz its good for ya :)

Define spirituality, what would be the point of investigating a belief system centred on a non existent being?Truth is WE DIE, get over it.It's not hard.

In conclusion, Atheists are spiritually dormant because they have yet to individually investigate the religion itself, and rely on the study of others as the backbone to their own personal beliefs. Religion should be sought out by those who truly want to quench their thirst of Spirituality and rid themselves from the restriction imposed by secularism and the damage inflicted by the lack of Spirituality. So do some Personal Investigation of the Truth, cuz its good for ya :)

Define spirituality, what would be the point of investigating a belief system centred on a non existent being?Truth is WE DIE, get over it.It's not hard.

Death is inevitable, and yes, we die. With all due respect, you choose to ignore knowledge while you're alive so I don't know what's worse; (A) Dying ignorant (for a lack of a better word) or (B) living and curious.Without having a shred knowledge on who I am and what I believe in, you assume that I will be throwing Scripture at you in a petty attempt to "convert" you. But, that's understandable given that you've endured that during your time here on DDO. So don't worry...I'm not like them ;)

Let me say this:

Forcefully quenching someone's against their own will, is actually called waterboarding, which is deemed a crime by the international courts. Likewise, when someone isn't spiritually thirsty, there is no use spiritually waterboarding them, because then it's called proselytization, which is forbidden in the Baha'i Faith. So I won't bother convincing you on the existence of God, but we could look together for the answers to your questions.But the problem is, investigation can't be done on your end because you've already drawn up a conclusion in your initial question. You've already made up you're mind that there is no point investigating on a non-existent being. Now I can't tell you, "yea, God exists" and sit here shooting Scripture at you like a drive-by shooting. I don't like doing and obviously, neither do you.You see no point in it, so the only thing I can do now is wait until you've asked the right questions, meaning that you actually want to know.

So I respect you're views and all, but if you want this conversation to continue about God, then you have to ask the right questions, not questions that show your conclusive stance. Just a heads up, if you choose to ask the right questions about this subject, then I would recommend that you do a little investigation on the Baha'i Faith, because all my answers and explanations will be influenced by it.

In conclusion, Atheists are spiritually dormant because they have yet to individually investigate the religion itself, and rely on the study of others as the backbone to their own personal beliefs. Religion should be sought out by those who truly want to quench their thirst of Spirituality and rid themselves from the restriction imposed by secularism and the damage inflicted by the lack of Spirituality. So do some Personal Investigation of the Truth, cuz its good for ya :)

Define spirituality, what would be the point of investigating a belief system centred on a non existent being?Truth is WE DIE, get over it.It's not hard.

Death is inevitable, and yes, we die. With all due respect, you choose to ignore knowledge while you're alive so I don't know what's worse; (A) Dying ignorant (for a lack of a better word) or (B) living and curious.Without having a shred knowledge on who I am and what I believe in, you assume that I will be throwing Scripture at you in a petty attempt to "convert" you. But, that's understandable given that you've endured that during your time here on DDO. So don't worry...I'm not like them ;)

Let me say this:

Forcefully quenching someone's against their own will, is actually called waterboarding, which is deemed a crime by the international courts. Likewise, when someone isn't spiritually thirsty, there is no use spiritually waterboarding them, because then it's called proselytization, which is forbidden in the Baha'i Faith. So I won't bother convincing you on the existence of God, but we could look together for the answers to your questions.But the problem is, investigation can't be done on your end because you've already drawn up a conclusion in your initial question. You've already made up you're mind that there is no point investigating on a non-existent being. Now I can't tell you, "yea, God exists" and sit here shooting Scripture at you like a drive-by shooting. I don't like doing and obviously, neither do you.You see no point in it, so the only thing I can do now is wait until you've asked the right questions, meaning that you actually want to know.

So I respect you're views and all, but if you want this conversation to continue about God, then you have to ask the right questions, not questions that show your conclusive stance. Just a heads up, if you choose to ask the right questions about this subject, then I would recommend that you do a little investigation on the Baha'i Faith, because all my answers and explanations will be influenced by it.

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

I have two sets of beliefs. One set of beliefs being firmly cemented in lies and lives to talk the most; therein, become these words blowing strong as high wind is useless can take one nowhere. The other set of beliefs can not be told not even to whisper but to tell can only be shown by the hand becomes taken the request for truth, to see, get stuck by lightning and the places you'll go you'd never believe. So round we go I circle back to refer you to my first set of beliefs known as more believable.

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

I have two sets of beliefs. One set of beliefs being firmly cemented in lies and lives to talk the most; therein, become these words blowing strong as high wind is useless can take one nowhere. The other set of beliefs can not be told not even to whisper but to tell can only be shown by the hand becomes taken the request for truth, to see, get stuck by lightning and the places you'll go you'd never believe. So round we go I circle back to refer you to my first set of beliefs known as more believable.

So what are the affects(?) Well it makes me dizzy and a bit nauseous, I suppose.

I personally don't ascribe to organized religion, but understand its does has value to individuals. It provides a sense of community, order and morality for those who have faith in a particular religion. Spirituality can be had within and outside organized religion. A belief that there is an omnipotent being that is all knowing and has the vastness to spark all that is-is a sufficient premise to lead a spiritual life. How it affects how I live, is that I feel that as people, we are all a gift, wrapped in different colored and patterned paper, but all a gifts just the same. My personal morality does not permit me to judge others because I am also a fallible human. I do not have the same life experiences or history as others. The decisions that people make that are contrary to my personal platform on how to live life are individual and personal. Good or bad choices are based from one's life experiences. No one can truly walk in another person's shoes. Short of choices that do harm to others, everyone is okay to live life as they choose.

At 5/30/2016 3:16:57 AM, Peepette wrote:I personally don't ascribe to organized religion, but understand its does has value to individuals. It provides a sense of community, order and morality for those who have faith in a particular religion. Spirituality can be had within and outside organized religion. A belief that there is an omnipotent being that is all knowing and has the vastness to spark all that is-is a sufficient premise to lead a spiritual life. How it affects how I live, is that I feel that as people, we are all a gift, wrapped in different colored and patterned paper, but all a gifts just the same. My personal morality does not permit me to judge others because I am also a fallible human. I do not have the same life experiences or history as others. The decisions that people make that are contrary to my personal platform on how to live life are individual and personal. Good or bad choices are based from one's life experiences. No one can truly walk in another person's shoes. Short of choices that do harm to others, everyone is okay to live life as they choose.

At 5/30/2016 3:16:57 AM, Peepette wrote:I personally don't ascribe to organized religion, but understand its does has value to individuals. It provides a sense of community, order and morality for those who have faith in a particular religion. Spirituality can be had within and outside organized religion. A belief that there is an omnipotent being that is all knowing and has the vastness to spark all that is-is a sufficient premise to lead a spiritual life. How it affects how I live, is that I feel that as people, we are all a gift, wrapped in different colored and patterned paper, but all a gifts just the same. My personal morality does not permit me to judge others because I am also a fallible human. I do not have the same life experiences or history as others. The decisions that people make that are contrary to my personal platform on how to live life are individual and personal. Good or bad choices are based from one's life experiences. No one can truly walk in another person's shoes. Short of choices that do harm to others, everyone is okay to live life as they choose.

At 5/10/2016 3:36:49 AM, SolonKR wrote:Religion can be anything from a passive belief to a way of life. Even militant non-religion often impacts the way a person lives.

So, how do you think your beliefs have affected/reflect you as a person?

This is an excellent questions, and so far there are many excellent responses. Thank you all!

Too often people who believe in God, or even those who determinedly do not, are consumed with the idea of their being 'right'. That their chosen belief is the moat accurate view of reality. When in fact, that isn't the more articulate expression of the essential question. I think you have posed the more essential expression of the question: how does our belief in or about "God" effect us? Who are we, and who are we becoming because we choose to believe what we do about the origin, meaning and purpose of existence? I say this because, in the end, what does our righteousness even matter if we are ignorant, mean-spirited, destructive a-holes as a result? What will our righteousness have done to increase the lives and spirits and well-being of anyone?

And this is just as true of the haranguing atheist as it is of the haranguing religious zealot. How does their aggressive, self-righteousness, condemnation lift up anyone, or even themselves?

To answer your question, personally, I think in most cases we are little effected by what we choose to believe regarding God, because what we choose to believe regarding God is the direct result of who we already are. Our gods are just a representation of what we believe the truth of reality of life already is. It's only when our beliefs fail us, and we are in psychological crisis, that we will look for a better belief system, and will be willing to actually try it on in our lives.

This happened to me many years ago when I "hit bottom" as an alcoholic, and I was forced to let go of all my beliefs about God, myself, and life in general, because I was using them as an excuse to destroy myself. And even though it's been a long time, now, I am still working out this 'new' belief system. And the question you asked is an ongoing and important part of that, for me. Because I need to stay aware of how what I am thinking about myself, about "God", and about life in general is effecting who I am, and who I am becoming. Because if I am not careful, I could fall back into the mind-set that nearly destroyed me.

The word 'capacity' refers to both the spiritual and to the physical foundations of an individual. The word suggests a potential, something to be fulfilled or accomplished (and something that is capable of both fulfillment and accomplishment). In truth, it's clear that an individual, at his/her birth into this world, is capable of showing very few of the qualities that a mature adult human being, already has.

We also know that unless the infant is properly cared for and provided with a host of support systems and a growth-inducing milieu, he will never exhibit such qualities. Life, then, is a growth process. Man begins the process as a little bundle of potential and proceeds, for better or worse, to develop his potential through the process of education (considered broadly as the sum of all environmental influences on the individual plus the individual's reaction to these influences).

According to Bah"'" teachings, the very purpose of man's life is the proper, harmonious, and full development of spiritual capacities. This is the most worthwhile possible goal since spiritual capacities, being part of the immortal soul, will eternally endure while the body and its capacities will not. However, the body is the instrument of the soul's development in this earthly life, and so physical health and development cannot be safely neglected but rather must be made to serve the primary goal of fostering the soul's progress.

The Baha'i Teachings expresses this truth succinctly and powerfully:

`Through the Teachings of this Day Star of Truth [The Messenger of God] every man will advance and develop until he attaineth the station at which he can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been endowed. It is for this very purpose that in every age and dispensation the Prophets of God and His chosen Ones have appeared amongst men, and have evinced such power as is born of God and such might as only the Eternal can reveal.'

The process of developing one's spiritual capacities is called spiritual growth or simply spirituality. Therefore we can formulate a clear definition of the concept of spirituality: Spirituality is the process of the full, adequate, proper, and harmonious development of one's spiritual capacities. Unspirituality, by contrast, is either the lack of development of these capacities, their imbalanced or inharmonious development (e.g., the development of one to the exclusion of others), or else the false (improper) development and/or use of these capacities.

With this definition of spirituality in mind, we can also formulate a clear definition of what Baha'i morality looks like : That which fosters and advances the process of spiritual development is good, and that which tends to inhibit it, is bad. Every law, counsel or behavioral norm contained in the Writings of the Baha'i Faith can be understood in large measure from this perspective.